Hi all, I have an Apple AirTag permanently attached to one of my bikes that lives in another part of the country, and for the last year I can successfully see the location daily using the “Find My” app. This is helped by my family there having iPhones in the vicinity. However, lol, I am an Android phone user so must rely solely on my iPad for using “Find My”. So my question is, has anyone successfully used Tile Pro as a cheap Bluetooth tracker with the ability to use either Android or iPhone? I also can’t work out whether a subscription is needed for Tile Pro based on this motorcycle tracker use case.
I can’t really comment on the tile pro, but was looking at an AirTag to fit to the bike myself. What I really like about the AirTag is that it can just use any iPhone in proximity to give a location update. Without any extra data plan or anything needed. Even it gets stolen, there are enough iPhones around for it to pick up a signal every now and than.
+1 for the airtag. Have mine on and works perfectly. Also have a monimoto tracker on too (pretty cheap) but I cannot comment on the tile pro either i'm afraid. Get both?
Just found my wife's house keys with a Tile! We only have a limited use for ours, but I wouldn't be without it for my rather scatty wife. Hers is just a cheap one on the house keys, but it's proved its worth a time or two. Has a reverse function too-press the button on the Tile and it sets off an alarm on her phone, even if it's on silent. We've used it that way too.
Tile works the same way. It has a Bluetooth range of around 75 metres, but can use Bluetooth contact with other phones if you're trying to locate items further than that. will give a last known location display.
OK, I got my new Tile Pro from Amazon yesterday and it's now in the garage with the bikes. Unless I am doing something wrong, the Tile only allows "me" to ping it so it hasn't picked up a location for 7 hours because I am at work 10 miles away. This is despite my good Lady being at home all day and just 20 feet away (Bluetooth enabled but with no Tile app installed). However, my experience so far with the Apple AirTag is that anyone with an iPhone in close proximity will cause it to update the location on the Find My app. I will continue testing and also try installing the Tile app on the other phones in our house.
I got my wife a Tile twin pack for the same reason. One each on her house and car keys so as long as we have one of the three we can find the other two. Been used several times (!) but always within the house.
I thought about using an AirTag as a tracker for the bike but if it only updates its location when an iPhone is in range (presumably it updates near iPads or Macs as well) that's quite a risk for an expensive machine like my MV. If it's put in a van and no one has an iPhone it could be out of the country before I ever know what's happening. Also, it's only me who can track it. If I call the police, they won't be able to check the location in real time so how interested will they be in following it up, and god only knows who I'm supposed to call for law enforcement in Romania... I might consider sticking one on my old Speed Triple but for a more valuable bike I'd probably stump up for a more complete solution, like BikeTrac.
OK, a couple of weeks in to using the Tile permanently placed under the bike seat and it is not as useful as a cheap bike tracker as I had hoped and here’s why. The AirTag uses nearby iPhones to report in and update the Find My app. The Tile only reports in when the registered phone is close by The AirTag needs no subscription but the Tile really needs a £30 per year subscription to be useful I added my Wife to people that can see my Tile and she was able to see my last journey on the bike An obvious downside of the AirTag is that it only works with Apple devices, whereas the Tile work with iOS and Android So for me the AirTag wins as a cheap bike tracker but the Tile will certainly be useful for other things like my keys.
